Atkins, Chet Burton (20th
June 1934-30th June 2001)
He was born in Luttrell,
Tennessee and was a self-taught guitarist.His half-brother Paul was a
guitarist with the Les Paul Trio.He made his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in 1946 as a
member of Red Foley's Band and his first recorded single was
"Mr. Sandman".Alongside being a successful solo artist he has produced records for
many artists including Jim Reeves and Waylon Jennings, as well as Perry
Como's hit record "And I Love You So".When he was in charge of RCA's
Nashville Division, he used the Jordanaires on
hits like Jim Reeves' "Four Walls" so he could make the
cross over from country to pop.He sparked violence in the South when he signed Charley Pride to be
the first African-American country singer. In the 1970s he was one of the group The
Country Hams which was with Sir
Paul McCartney and other members of Wings.
They released a single of a song that had been written by James
McCartney, Sir
Paul McCartney's father. He received 11 Grammy Awards and 9
Country Music Association Instrumentalist of the Year Awards.He died of cancer on 30th
June 2001 at his home in Nashville.
